November 26, 2008

For those with a Mac, it makes it much easier to know when the next bus is coming. You can quickly glance at bus arrival times for your stops in OS X's Dashboard without having to load the Bus Tracker web site. More info and the free download is at http://widget.chicagobus.org/.

"The Future of the CTA on the South Side." I got a note last week from Sam Feldman last week about the article he wrote on this topic. He's a University of Chicago student and the managing editor of Chicago Weekly. Check out his story on possible future expansion of the CTA on the South Side.

Thanksgiving Day reroutes. The downtown parade Thursday will cause lots of bus reroutes. The CTA will run on a Sunday schedule Thursday, and on a regular schedule for Black Friday. Details here.

Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving! We'll be taking a few days off, looking for the Holiday Train.

November 24, 2008

In the past here we've discussed the pros and cons of letting the CTA track your every movement on the system via a Chicago Card and Chicago Card Plus. Not to mention giving the CTA access to your credit card via a Chicago Card Plus.

But a guy in New York City has been released on bail after a MetroCard he used proved his alibi -- and that it would have been difficult if not impossible for him to have committed the murder he was accused of.

November 22, 2008

Mayor Daley's City Hall is known for issuing press releases with bad news late on Friday afternoons. So it was odd to see the CTA issue its own press release late Friday announcing great news -- the end of three-tracking at Fullerton.

Of course, the CTA has told us all along the Fullerton project would end before Thanksgiving. So it's not really "news" But great news it is for CTA rail riders in the heavily traveled Fullerton to Belmont corridor.

Track 1 being open now at Fullerton should open things up a bit between Belmont and Fullerton. But don't expect miracles. The same number of trains will run until Track 1 is open at Belmont, sometime before the end of the year.

November 21, 2008

Yes folks, it's that time again! The CTA Santa Train is coming town starting this weekend. Of course, the CTA has to be more politically correct, so they call it the Holiday Train. But Santa certainly is the centerpiece as he rides a sleigh on two open flat-bed cars in the middle of the train.

And for those of you grinches who are going to complain about how much extra this costs us, hold your tongues. Basically, it's nada. We addressed this issue last year.

So here's the schedule. And if you keep checking back, the CTA links up a detailed schedule for upcoming dates.

Our pal Jasmine suggested that perhaps we could do a CTA Tattler meetup on the Santa Train this year. Maybe we could ride it around the Loop on Saturday, Dec. 13, on the Brown or Orange Line and then gather somewhere for good cheer. What do you think?

Here in Chicago, the CTA faced about a $50 million budget gap for 2009, which it plugged with a fare increase, but no service cuts.

In New York City today, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority will reveal its budget and how it plans to deal with a $1.2 billion shortfall. So yes, it could have been much worse for us, were it not for the sales tax increase passed early this year.

The New York Times reports that an 8% hike in fares and tolls will cover about half of that. But Gotham City passengers are waiting for the other shoe to drop -- in the form of expected heavy service cuts.

And while we're talking about the MTA, check out this New York Magazine story about which bus gets the Pokie and Schleppie awards for being "slower than chickens walking." The "winning" bus moves at 3.7 mph.

So, which CTA bus do yo think should win our own CTA Tattler Pokie award? Or should be call it the Bunchie? (Hat tip to Jasmine.)

November 19, 2008

The CTA and 10 other transit agencies went hat in hand to Congress Tuesday, asking for the Feds to guarantee long-term financing deals that have soured recently with the global credit meltdown, Crain's Chicago Business reports.

"The Chicago Transit Authority has asked a judge
to intervene in a contract dispute that threatens to shut down the agency’s
Green Line and force the agency to pay $76 million in damages.

"The CTA has an agreement with EntreCap Public Financial
Holdings LLC of Connecticut and two other organizations to lease back property,
railway tracks and train stations on its Green Line. When the 45-year contract
was signed in 1998, the CTA’s payments were guaranteed by American International
Group Inc.

"Two months ago, AIG’s credit rating was cut amid the U.S.
mortgage meltdown that claimed several financial institutions and forced a
federal bailout of the former insurance industry powerhouse.

"AIG’s rating cut triggered a clause in the CTA leaseback
contract that required the already cash-strapped transit agency to find another
backer in 30 business days or face a $76-million penalty, along with the end of
the deal with EntreCap."

Tuesday the transit agencies asked the Treasury Dept. to guarantee these deals instead. Crain's had a great quote from a Maryland congressman: "I made the point that it would be wrong to ride to the rescue of private Wall
Street firms and then leave public transit agencies out in the cold," Rep. Chris
Van Hollen, D-Maryland, told The Associated Press last month.

November 18, 2008

OK, admittedly I've been holding on to this post for awhile before actually posting it today. (You know -- good for a rainy/snowy day!) But still, it's interesting to read the view of an "outsider" of our own rail system.

Dave turned me on to this Wired magazine story from last December, where the Blue Line connection to O'Hare is the only U.S. rail line cited among the "Five Best Airport to City Rail Connections."

But even back then there were slow zones, which have largely been fixed. The weekend work lately is to repair crossovers.

From the story:

Both domestic terminals have underground walkways to the train platforms
(international terminal has an automatic people mover to the station), where
Blue Line trains depart every 5 minutes at peak hours, every 8 minutes during
the day, and every 10-30 minutes during the night. Once in the downtown area,
Washington, Monroe, and Jackson stations are in walking distance to most
destinations in the Loop area. The trip takes 45 minutes, since the train makes
local stops, but during rush hour, the 'L' becomes very competitive with cars.
For only $2 (or $1.75 with a ChicagoCard), it's a deal!